Izzet Spellementals wants to chain cheap spells to reduce the cost of Hearth Elemental and Eddymurk Crab, though cheap removal like Stab and Dark Deed requires additional damage to finish off these large threats (Eddymurk Crab is a 5/5 and survives Stab alone, but Dark Deed's -4/-4 combined with damage from Caustic Bronco or a blocker can finish it). Prioritize applying pressure quickly since this deck lacks a way to interact with your hand and needs time to assemble its engine. Case of the Stashed Skeleton and Forsaken Miner provide resilient early bodies against their small burn spells like Burst Lightning. With no sideboard changes, keep the maindeck's proactive removal and clock-based plan intact.

This is a mirror-adjacent grind against another black-based midrange deck packing their own copies of Kaito, Bane of Nightmares, Cecil, Dark Knight, and Requiting Hex, so removal efficiency and card advantage matter most. Dark Deed answers their Cecil and Stab answers their Spyglass Siren cheaply, while Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer's -1 discard and -2 reanimation help grind through their card advantage engines like Enduring Curiosity and threats like The Wondrous Wasp. Kaito, Bane of Nightmares is a house on both sides of the board, so protecting yours and pressuring theirs is critical. No sideboard swaps are available, so lean on sequencing removal to answer their early drops before Floodpits Drowner and Spyglass Siren stabilize their board.

Azorius Tempo leans on cheap flyers like Sage of the Skies and Momo, Friendly Flier alongside Starfield Shepherd, none of which your removal suite struggles against: Dark Deed kills all of these, while Stab handles Momo and Starfield Shepherd. Case of the Stashed Skeleton's Skeleton token and Corpses of the Lost's Skeleton Pirate can chip in on offense while your removal clears their evasive threats. Kaito, Bane of Nightmares also dodges their small creatures thanks to hexproof while active. With no sideboard available, keep removal focused on their early flyers before Quantum Riddler or Aang, Swift Savior stabilize the game.